Westmeath trio strive to make Leinster club progress
Three Westmeath clubs are bidding to make progress in the Leinster club football championships this weekend.
The fact that St Loman’s, Mullingar will be in opposition to their former manager Luke Dempsey in Sunday’s Leinster senior quarter-final against Killoe Young Emmets of Longford has attracted plenty of attention.
Dempsey guided St Loman’s to three Westmeath senior titles in a row (2015 to 2017), and came agonisingly close to the Leinster crown, during his time in charge of the Mullingar club. Dempsey won All-Ireland minor and U-21 titles as Westmeath manager and also made significant progress at senior level with the Lake men. The vastly experienced Dempsey has also managed the Longford senior team.
Having defeated Shelmaliers of Wexford in the opening round, St Loman’s will travel to Glennon Brothers Pearse Park to face the Killoe men on Sunday (throw-in 2pm). With players like Mickey Quinn, Daniel Mimnagh, Cian Farrelly and Mark Hughes in their ranks, Killoe are likely to pose a stiff test to St Loman’s.
However, St Loman's have been given a significant boost with the news that the red card received by Westmeath forward Shane Dempsey in the last round has been rescinded.
The straight red card was considered very harsh by many observers and a Leinster Council hearing has downgraded it to a black card - see here for a separate article including the views of Loman's manager Paddy Dowdall.
There is also plenty of intrigue in relation to the games involving St Malachy’s and Kilbeggan Shamrocks.
Westmeath intermediate champions St Malachy’s face Allenwood in the Kildare Centre of Excellence in Hawkfield tomorrow (Saturday) at (2pm).
At the age of 45, Kildare football legend Johnny Doyle played a starring role for Allenwood in their recent intermediate final win over Castledermot.
St Malachy’s have a notable veteran in their own ranks in the form of Alan Managan, a Leinster senior medallist with Westmeath in 2004 and the manager of the Castletown Geoghegan hurling team for the past two years.
For their part, Westmeath junior champions Kilbeggan Shamrocks recently claimed their first victory in Leinster fare when defeating Lisdowney of Kilkenny. They will now face Ballymore of Longford in a Leinster quarter-final at The Downs (also on Saturday at 2pm).